Risotto balls made with a vibrant blend of beetroot and ricotta, to eat with a
rustic, nutty salsa.

Salsa agresto is an Italian salsa made with verjuice, the juice from pressed unripe grapes. It can be bought as 'verjus' at melburyandappleton.co.uk at £6.50 for 320ml. Alternatively, use apple juice with a little fresh lemon juice added.

Melt the butter in a large pan, add the rice and cook for one to two minutes until it's coated in butter. Add the beetroot and sage. Gradually add the hot stock a little at a time and simmer gently, stirring occasionally.

When the rice has absorbed a ladleful of liquid, add another, continuing this way until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender (you may need more stock). Stir in the parmesan, ricotta and half the breadcrumbs. Season to taste. Turn out the mixture on to a baking-tray and cool in the fridge.

Put the salsa ingredients into a blender and blitz to a coarse sauce.

Remove the rice from the fridge, and divide into eight patties or 12 balls. Roll them in the flour, then in the egg mix and finally into the remaining breadcrumbs. Deep-fry in hot oil (180°C/350°F) until golden (one to two minutes), then drain on kitchen paper. Place the croquettes on a bed of green salad, drizzle with the salsa agresto and serve.